Archive for the ‘Press Releases’ Category

Nearly 46 million meals loaded on flights leaving Dubai

DUBAI, U.A.E., 3 January 2014 – Emirates’ aircraft flew around the world more than 18,000 times in 2013, underlining its position as a global connector of people and places.

Figures show the airline’s fleet travelled more than 751 million kilometres throughout the year. Taking the earth’s circumference at the equator as 40,075 kilometres, this translates into the equivalent of 18,753 circumnavigations.

A total of 164,635 flights were conducted, carrying over 43 million passengers, who enjoyed the finest dining in the skies and the very best in-flight entertainment.

Emirates Flight Catering loaded nearly 46 million meals aboard Emirates’ flights departing Dubai. A particularly memorable day for the catering team was 20th December 2013 when a staggering 157,308 meals were produced, breaking their previous record of 147,722 on 1st March 2013.

“2013 has been another impressive year for the airline. We continue to raise the bar in the industry with investment, innovation and the expansion of our services globally, bringing unrivalled value for money to the millions who travel with us,” said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.

Throughout the year, the airline has received 24 new aircraft – a combination of Airbus A380s, Boeing 777s and 777 freighters. Nine new passenger routes have been launched; Warsaw, Algiers, Tokyo Haneda, Stockholm, Clark, Milan-New York, Conakry, Sialkot and Kabul. Hanoi, Chicago, Kano in Nigeria and Quito in Ecuador have been launched as cargo only destinations.

The first major milestone of 2013 was January’s opening of Concourse A, the world’s first purpose built A380 concourse. The giant building with 20 A380 gates is over 800m long and houses the largest airline lounges in the world.

In February, Emirates went from big to fast, becoming a Global Partner of Formula 1 in a five year deal starting with the 2013 season.

April saw the landmark commercial deal with Qantas come to life. The new partnership brings the total combined number of weekly flights from Dubai to Australia to 98.

In May, The Emirates Group, which includes dnata, announced its 25th consecutive year of profit, despite the continuing tough international business environment. For the 2012/13 financial year, the group posted a AED 3.1 billion (US$ 845 million) net profit, up 34 per cent from the previous financial year.

August brought the fifth anniversary of Emirates’ A380 operations. At the five year mark, its A380 fleet had carried more than 18 million passengers on over 45,000 flights. Earlier this month, the double decker, offering more than 400 hours of Hollywood movies, was deployed to Los Angeles, creating the world’s longest A380 service in operation at 16 hours and 20 minutes.

“We were bold ordering this double-decker when we did, and in the numbers that we did, but my goodness, it has proved to be a gamble worth taking, said Mr Clark. “Our customers love it, and it is one of the most efficient aircraft to operate today in terms of fuel burn per passenger.”

In September, Emirates’ fans were given an unprecedented look behind the scenes of its home base at Dubai International. The ten part series, “Ultimate Airport Dubai,” charts the incredible story of Dubai’s aviation sector on National Geographic Channel. The documentary can also be viewed on Emirates’ ice Digital Widescreen.

In October, Emirates hit two million Facebook fans and predicted it would be carrying a total of 70 million passengers by 2020, a date which has now taken on a new significance after Dubai landed Expo 2020.

Emirates has won a host of awards during 2013 – most notably the Skytrax “World’s Best Airline” award. Close to 18,000 cabin crew from 137 nationalities help to deliver the world renowned on board service.

Emirates Skywards membership has now reached 10 million and new partnerships for the year include American Express, Virgin America and JetBlue.

The most headline grabbing news of 2013 was the dramatic announcement at November’s Dubai Airshow. Held for the first time at the emerging aviation city of Dubai World Central, Emirates ordered 200 aircraft – 150 Boeing 777Xs and 50 A380s. At US$99 billion, it was the largest order in civil aviation history, and Emirates, once again, rewrote the history books. Watch the moment.

Notes to editors:

*Flight figures are for the calendar year 2013 (including estimates for 28-31 Dec 2013).
*Catering figures cover meals loaded at Dubai International only. This does not include meals loaded at other destinations.

Share and Enjoy

Karachi / Dubai, U.A.E, 17 January 2014 – Emirates airline, an Official FIFA Worldwide Partner, announced that Brazilian football legend Pelé will be one of its Global Ambassadors.

Coinciding with the highly-anticipated FIFA World Cup™, hosted this summer in Brazil, Emirates has partnered with Pelé on its global campaign to showcase the connections that Emirates creates between people, places and passions around the world – through its sponsorship of sports, as well as its operations as an airline.

The partnership was announced at a media conference in Dubai, which brought Pelé to the home of Emirates airline. As part of the agreement the two parties will work together on a number of initiatives over the coming months. This announcement marks the second time the airline has worked with a Global Ambassador to complement its FIFA World Cup™ campaign, the first being Franz Beckenbauer during the 2006 tournament in Germany. Partnering with such prominent sports figures, like Pelé, allows Emirates amplify and bring to life the many ways sports inspires and unites people and ideas around the world.

HH Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Emirates Airline said: “Pelé is a global icon. He is recognised, respected, and an inspiration to people around the world. He represents the best values of ‘the beautiful game’ of football, not only because he was a great player, but also because he uses the power of sports to connect people – with each other, with communities, and with opportunities. In many ways, Pelé stands for the same values that Emirates does. He is the ideal choice for our Global Ambassador and we are thrilled that we will be partnering with him.”

Emirates is also linked to Pelé through the airline’s sponsorship of the Cosmos team in New York City, where he is honorary chairman. Announced in 2013, the New York Cosmos sponsorship marked Emirates’ first foray into football in the USA.

Pelé said: “Emirates is one of the most outstanding brands in global sports today. Having just flown on Emirates’ A380 from Zurich to Dubai, I can say from personal experience that it is also an outstanding airline. It would be great if Emirates would fly the A380 to Brazil for the FIFA World Cup™! My flight was very comfortable and it was delightful to be onboard with their helpful and friendly staff. And with such an international mix of passengers, Emirates is truly a global airline just like the global game of football. Emirates is a proud supporter of sports around the world, and I am honoured to be its Global Ambassador.”

Pelé first visited the UAE in 1973 when Santos – his club at the time – played against Dubai club Al Nasr. He passed through Dubai twice after that – his most recent time being just over five years ago.

On this visit to Dubai, Pelé also remarked on the tremendous growth of the city and its achievements. He said: “Dubai has made a name for itself on the international stage. It has changed so much from when I first visited in the ‘70s. I see a thriving city with great infrastructure for tourism and business, capable of welcoming the world and connecting with the world. My wish is that the FIFA World Cup™ will help unleash and showcase this same potential for Brazil.”

Also known as Brazil’s king of football, Pelé is one of the most famous and admired football legends globally. A spectacular career saw Pelé thrive at International and club level and is recorded as the only man to lift three World Cup titles, in 1958, 1962 and 1970, the first at just 17 years old. Accolades continued throughout his career and after retirement, including being declared a national treasure by the Brazilian President in 1961, being honoured by the Guinness World Records for the most career goals scored in football, and jointly receiving with Maradona, the one-off FIFA Player of the Century award in 2000. Earlier this week, he was awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur for his lifetime achievements.

An official FIFA Partner since 2006, Emirates has been involved with the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the FIFA U20 and U17 World Cup, as well as the FIFA World Cup™– including the upcoming 2014 event in Brazil.

Operating daily flights from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Emirates is expected to transport over 18,000 passengers during the month-long tournament this year. The airline connects Brazil and the South American continent to the world, facilitating trade and tourism with air transport links beyond Dubai to the Far East, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.